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The Whacking of Harold Reynolds

Johnny Dickshot Jul 25 2006 10:14 AM

I didn't think HR was all that great but he was a hell of a lot better than Jeff Brantley and John Kruk! Wonder what the story was. The old story is how a show so potentially great ('Baseball Tonight?!?") manages to suck night after night. ]ESPN FIRES REYNOLDS By ANDREW MARCHAND July 25, 2006 -- ESPN yesterday fired analyst Harold Reynolds from Baseball Tonight, sources told The Post. The reason was not immediately known. "We are not going to comment," ESPN VP Josh Krulewitz said. When asked how they are going to explain that Reynolds will never be on the air again, Krulewitz still declined comment. Reynolds did not return calls. Reynolds, 45, had been with ESPN 11 years. He had been a fixture on the show, which is a gathering spot for baseball fans, players and team executives. The program already is dealing with the loss of information man Peter Gammons. Gammons is recovering from a brain aneurysm that occurred at the end of last month. The show's main analysts had been Reynolds, Gammons and John Kruk. In Gammons' absence, ex-Met GM Steve Phillips has played a bigger role on the show. The program uses several analysts, including Orel Hershiser, Tino Martinez and Jeff Brantley. Last night, host Karl Ravech was joined by Kruk and Phillips. Reynolds usually is on Monday nights. Reynolds was known for a smooth style that usually was player friendly. He never found himself in too much controversy for what he said on the air. In fact, ESPN was so high on him he was expected to stay with the network through its just signed eight-year deal with MLB. Now, after yesterday, Reynolds is no longer welcome in Bristol. andrew.marchand@nypost.com

metirish Jul 25 2006 10:16 AM

WOW...I wonder what happened.

Elster88 Jul 25 2006 10:18 AM

I never liked him. But like JD said his replacements aren't any good. Edit: I'm Koosman.

Frayed Knot Jul 25 2006 10:21 AM

Now who will love Derek Jeter and sing his song?

PatchyFogg Jul 25 2006 10:23 AM

There has to be some kind of corporate back story on this, with the HR standing for Human Resources and not just Harold Reynolds.

cooby Jul 25 2006 10:23 AM

Dang, Harold always swung by my house during the LL World Series for refreshments. I'm not inviting Steve Phillips

Johnny Dickshot Jul 25 2006 10:24 AM

I guess I kinda liked Harold Reynolds as a player too, even tho as I peruse his stats, he wasn't ever as good as I mighta thought he was back in the 80s.

Frayed Knot Jul 25 2006 10:26 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 25 2006 10:28 AM

He was often the token All-Star on those bad post-expansion/pre-Griffey Mariner teams.

metirish Jul 25 2006 10:27 AM

I wish FOX would whack Lou Piniella.

Edgy DC Jul 25 2006 10:28 AM

I rarely watch but I liked him. He seemed charming and earnest. He had almost nothing to say, but he was hardly alone there. He was a good player who just faded really early, starting his broadcast career at a very young age, but he took advantage of that, interviewing players while he played catch with them or took infield. Maybe, as an analyst, he had the shallowness (or retrogradeness) of Joe Morgan, without Morgan's bitter intrasingence.

86-Dreamer Jul 25 2006 10:41 AM

also unlike Joe Morgan, Reynolds was not so good at picking his spots to steal a base. In 1988, he was caught 29 times versus 35 SBs - that has to be one of the worst perentages ever for anyone stealing > 30. I will try to find out where that stands.

PatchyFogg Jul 25 2006 11:16 AM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: I guess I kinda liked Harold Reynolds as a player too, even tho as I peruse his stats, he wasn't ever as good as I mighta thought he was back in the 80s. I once read that he was best at moving the runner by hitting to the right side of the infield, which teammates love but will kill your batting average.

MFS62 Jul 25 2006 01:06 PM

A shocker. Other than being a player's guy (no surprise) he's pretty bland. Maybe it was those awful suits he wears? That's just about the only thing I can think of. Later

Johnny Dickshot Jul 25 2006 01:59 PM

The guy wears suits with 8 or 10 buttons. I can barely make it to 4

silverdsl Jul 25 2006 02:39 PM

Some of the talk, which I won't repeat because I have no idea how true it is or not, indicates that he was fired for some very ugly reasons. I would guess we will hear more about this shortly.

MFS62 Jul 25 2006 03:21 PM

The ugly whispers. http://www.deadspin.com/sports/top/was-this-why-harold-got-the-axe-189733.php Later

soupcan Jul 25 2006 03:22 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 25 2006 03:25 PM

silverdsl wrote: Some of the talk, which I won't repeat because I have no idea how true it is or not, indicates that he was fired for some very ugly reasons. I would guess we will hear more about this shortly. If we promise to agree that its just 'talk' will you tell us? Or at least point us in the direction to see for ourselves...? OE: Thanks MFS.

silverdsl Jul 25 2006 03:25 PM

Pretty much what Deadspin has, plus the possiblity of a lawsuit.

Edgy DC Jul 25 2006 03:45 PM

Pretty ironic, I guess, if his firing leads to a somewhat expanded role for Steve Phillips.

Frayed Knot Jul 25 2006 04:04 PM

There was a book out a few years back (I forget the name and never read it) on the early days at ESPN which was apparently (and perhaps not surprisingly) a haven for sexual harrassment and other such frat-boy highjinks. After a while they supposedly got very strict over there and installed rigorous rules concerning such stuff. Although, as Phil Mushnick is fond of pointing out, that despite such rules ESPN still likes to bring various low-brow stuff into your living rooms (witness last week's ESPY awards) even as it would get the proprietors fired if they brought it into their own offices.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 25 2006 04:06 PM

What's a PA? Production Assistant?

Farmer Ted Jul 25 2006 04:08 PM

Rumor from years ago was that Mike Tirico was taken off the air for a while after an alleged sex harrassment thing. Now he's heading up MNF.

soupcan Jul 25 2006 04:27 PM

Farmer Ted wrote: Rumor from years ago was that Mike Tirico was taken off the air for a while after an alleged sex harrassment thing. Now he's heading up MNF. I knew Tirico as an undergrad at 'Cuse and am still in touch with people that know him. There were several sexual harassment complaints that were lodged against him and he was suspended more than once because of them.

OlerudOwned Jul 25 2006 04:32 PM

MFS62 wrote: The ugly whispers. http://www.deadspin.com/sports/top/was-this-why-harold-got-the-axe-189733.php Later That's too bad, I was really hoping ESPN was starting to fire people for being [url=http://firejoemorgan.blogspot.com/2006/07/look-back.html]stupid[/url].

Johnny Dickshot Jul 25 2006 04:35 PM

Not sure I'd trust a buncha guys trying to score smartass points at Deadspin for a real account of what happened or didn't happen. For all we know Reynolds got fired for stealing office supplies or chronic lateness or goofing off on the Internet -- y'know, the kinda things I'd get fired for. Were it sexual harassment, it differs some from Steve Phillips whom I believe had a consensual relationship with a co-worker (though a subordinate). Anyway, it's a share BBTN is without Gammons and Reynolds now.

Edgy DC Jul 25 2006 04:44 PM

Well, sexual harrassment was what he and the Mets got sued for. Since it was quickly settled, I don't think we ever knew how strong the basis was. Don't mean to imply that an expanded role for Phillips would be unjust. Just a casual a casual observation. I should have qualified it with something along the lines of "If there's a basis for those reports...."

Iubitul Jul 25 2006 04:52 PM

One of my co-workers used to work in Bristol - she just heard from one of her friends and all he said was that he was fired, and they can't talk about it. And no, I'm not going to ask my other contact.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 25 2006 05:04 PM

We don't really believe that you know Berman anyway :p

Iubitul Jul 25 2006 05:17 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: We don't really believe that you know Berman anyway :p I'm glad I don't :-P

metirish Jul 25 2006 10:17 PM

] ESPN's Reynolds is a wrap BY NEIL BEST Newsday Staff Writer July 25, 2006, 9:09 PM EDT Harold Reynolds, one of ESPN's most visible analysts and a long-time panelist on "Baseball Tonight," has left the network in the wake of one or more incidents of sexual harassment. An ESPN spokeswoman yesterday confirmed Reynolds' departure but repeatedly declined to provide a reason for it. Three people who work at ESPN and were familiar with the case said the cause was a pattern of sexual harassment, apparently culminating in a recent incident involving one of the network's young production assistants. Reynolds, a major leaguer for 12 seasons before joining ESPN in 1996, did not appear on "Baseball Tonight" Monday after having worked the Sunday show, during which he and fellow analyst Steve Phillips suggested the Yankees trade Alex Rodriguez. Sexual harassment charges are nothing new at ESPN, which operates out of a sprawling "campus" in relatively isolated Bristol, Conn., and employs many production assistants in their early 20s. The network has an extensive program of education and sensitivity regarding gender issues and an elaborate system for pursuing claims of sexual harassment. Keith Olbermann of MSNBC, a former ESPN host, told The New York Observer in 2004 he had testified in "three or four major cases at ESPN." Among the prominent ESPN personalities accused of improper behavior in the past is Mike Tirico, who will debut as the play-by-play man for "Monday Night Football" in the coming season. He was suspended by ESPN in 1992 for what were reported at the time to be allegations of sexual harassment. Another host, Jason Jackson, was fired in 2002, reportedly for harassment. In addition to "Baseball Tonight" Reynolds, 45, who is married and has an infant daughter, worked as a game analyst for the Little League World Series and College World Series. Reynolds was very popular personally among ESPN staffers, many of whom were shocked by his dismissal.

Zvon Jul 25 2006 10:18 PM

I liked Harold's input in the baseball dept. of ESPN. I was shocked to hear this news.

silverdsl Jul 26 2006 09:53 AM

A lot of Yankees fans, (I'm definitely not one of them who thinks this way) believe that Reynolds was fired because he's supportive of A-Rod and the Yankees.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 26 2006 09:57 AM

Yes - the world revolves around the Yankees and A-Rod. They can't really believe that, can they?

metirish Jul 26 2006 10:00 AM

I'm surprised then that Linda Cohen has not been fired because she's supportive of the Mets.....silly yankee fans.

silverdsl Jul 26 2006 10:04 AM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: Yes - the world revolves around the Yankees and A-Rod. They can't really believe that, can they? Yes, they do. A lot of Yankee fans, even some rational fans, firmly believe that the majority of the media, and especially ESPN is anti-Yankee. I've given up trying to argue about it. There are always going to be some members of the media who are not as professional as others, make mistakes or have trouble being objective. But that there's a vast media conspiracy against the Yankees - ridiculous.

Willets Point Jul 26 2006 10:06 AM

And here I always thought there was a pro-Yankee bias what with the Yankees always being in the primetime slot for every playoff game and the constant Jeter sploogefest.

MFS62 Jul 26 2006 10:37 AM

The last two posts are interesting. A few months ago, I read an article that said that up until a few years ago, it was widely felt by their (national) viewing audience that ESPN was very pro-Yankee/ pro- New York teams. As a result, ESPN started to bash the Mets every opportunity they could to show they weren't. Recently they seem to bend over backwards to be anti all New York teams, including the Yanks*. * = Just my impression. And, if they fire Linda Cohen, where would all those unused "she has six toes" jokes go? Later

cleonjones11 Jul 27 2006 05:40 PM

Another member of The Steve Phillips school of ass grabbing